The news came just a little before midnight on March 1: Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the devastating terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was dead. After a decade of eluding capture by America’s and its allies’ forces, the al-Qaeda leader was killed in a U.S. special forces attack on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
“Justice has been done,” said President Obama in a press conference announcing the operation and its outcome.
The announcement has sent shockwaves across the world, eliciting myriad reactions, questions about the circumstances of bin Laden’s death and burial at sea, and even conspiracy theories. Here, area residents and organizations share their thoughts on the matter:
 Ronald Jones, 23, systems architect, U.S. Treasury Department, Washington D.C. “Kudos for the Obama administration for a successful mission. I’d hate to detract from the positivity of the situation, but the timing was almost too perfect, which presents a plethora of other questions out of suspicion.” |
Morgan Thomas, 22, law school student, Maryland
“The death of bin Laden does not mean much because terrorism is an ideology and youcannot kill an ideology.”
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Dr. Donna Walton, 54, CEO of leggtalk.com, Washington, D.C.
Shawnice Williams, 24, social worker, Maryland “Osama bin Laden’s death has made al-Qaeda furious. Though I am very happy about this accomplishment, I think that al-Qaeda is going to retaliate in a greater way than America can possibly imagine. We have some ideas of who their new potential leader will be, and it is important that we don’t let our guard down for even a second because they are going to attempt to get their revenge when we least expect it.” |
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Council on American-Islamic Relations, press statement “We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world, through the actions of American military personnel.” |